Storm Rips Part of Roof From School

Ping-poing sized hail fell across the St. Louis Region as the first of two lines of severe weather moved through.

Hailstones that fell north of Valmeyer, IL (PHOTO: KMOX/Brian Kelly)

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – A line of severe weather has swept over the St. Louis region, ripping part of the roof from at least one structure and dropping large hail.

When the storm, packing high winds swept through Spanish Lake this morning, it hit the Christ, Light of the Nation parochial school, resulting in damage to the roof and classes being cancelled for the day. “It was just this big gust of wind,” said Sister Mary Lawrence, the school’s principal. “It peeled back part of the roof. It’s a flat roof and it peeled back and over.” Lawrence says there were no injuries to staff or students.

The National Weather Service forecast office in St. Louis said dopplar radar tracked storms this morning capable of generating wind gusts in excess of 60 mph, moving east across the bi-state region at more than 40 mph. The storm system also produced damaging hailstones, measuing a half inch in Madison, IL, according to NWS storm spotters. Hailstones up to three-quarters of an inch fell around Mapaville, MO in Jefferson County, big enough to knock out a car’s windshield.

The NWS says a new set of severe thunderstorms is expected to rapidly develop over Missouri and Illinois this afternoon and spread quickly east this evening. The strongest storms will be capable of producing tornadoes, golf ball or larger size hail, and damaging straight line wind gusts in excess of 70 mph. Locally heavy rainfall is also possible.